Thursday, November 12, 2009

While we were fighting insignificant wars amongst our selves- Gully vs. Gaza, Who don’t take care of their children vs. Who is an informer and all that other nonsense. Bigger things were afoot. So what are you going to do to address the problem?

MESSAGE FROM SABRINA OF ROTOTOM(one of the organizers of Rototom Sunsplash in Italy)

"I'm getting in touch with more info and to explain, concerning actual events, what will be the position of the Rototom crew.As you can read from the website it won't be possible to host the festival in Osoppo next year and until the process ends. But just after the festival, the crew has started to search around for a new location and now we're very positive because it seems that there are 2 different realistic possibilities, one in Italy and one in Spain. But you understand, we need some more time to confirm the best option and much depends on actual events.Anyway, the local court in Tolmezzo through the accuses to Filippo is not only criminalizing our festival but everyone doing reggae in Italy, where the whole atmosphere we're experiencing nowadays, believe me, is always more oppressive and xenophobe....).

Filippo is putting together a pool of lawyers while Giovanni is getting in touch with the Ministry in Jamaica to inform her and forward our appeal to the reggae community there. From the offices here we're searching and collecting solidarity in Italy, not only within the reggae scene but also from the various social netwoks, from media and the national press (michele is also on board!), from politicians of every parties, intellectuals and artists.Aside the ironic campeign "Io Agevolo" (= I facilitate) on the web (pics are available on http://www.rototomsunsplash.com/index.php?id=293,2682,0,0,1,0) <http://www.rototomsunsplash.com/index.php?id=293,2682,0,0,1,0%29>

and the collection of solidarity messages ( you can read something on http://www.rototomsunsplash.com/voci.phtml) <http://www.rototomsunsplash.com/voci.phtml%29>, we're also organizing a big demonstration-concert in Udine, on the 13th of November under the slogan “THEY CAN’T PUT BOB MARLEY ON TRIAL !” ( the appeal is below).Some Italian reggae artists already confirmed their partecipation and we're expecting positive feedbacks also from artists that are not reggae. All messages received along these days will be spread from the stage: written ones, video-messages or video-calls on skype. All sound systems will perform in a close square. Thanks to the support of Arcoiris TV we can confirm the web-streaming, while Popolare will broadcast the event on Sunday. On Sunday 15 the regional TV Telefriuli will feature a 3-hours special programme.

INFORMATION/PROMO FOR DEMONSTRATION/CONCERT* “THEY CAN’T PUT BOB MARLEY ON TRIAL!” *“Rastafarian ideology prefigures the relationship between reggae music and marijuana”, according to this sentence they want to ban Rototom Sunsplash, one of the most important reggae festivals on planet earth, at the same time they risk to set a precedent that would describe as a criminal everyone promoting reggae culture in Italy.We say no to any religious discrimination and to the criminalization of Rototom Sunsplash.We defend our free consciences, our freedom of speech and our freedom of thought.We claim our rights to live in peace, brotherhood and fraternity.We reclaim the right to have a better world!Let’s show them our beauty, our joy, our dreams and plans, let’s show them that we don’t “support” death culture but we share the dream that another world is possible!"THEY CAN’T PUT BOB MARLEY ON TRIAL!" is not only a fight for Rototom Sunsplash:* it*’s a fight for your freedom*Friday, Novembre 13* – from 06.00 pm to 12 pmUDINE - Matteotti squareSoon more info on www.rototom.com<http://www.rototomsunsplash.com/>